Saturday, August 24, 2013

Indie author Amos
Keppler's novel ShadowWalk is, among many great things a celebration of
multiculturalism.

What makes Amos
Keppler's books unique compared to all others is the uncanny vision he brings
to his work. I have read about half of his works by now, and even though the
novels are vastly different from each other, they share that unique quality of
being different.

The visual power he
brings to his stories is unquestionable. Others have related how they are able
to easily visualize what they read in his books. I agree!

But what the stories
are about more than anything is the deep waters of humanity. You haven’t
experienced truly deep in books until you read this one. At least I hadn't.

The story is about
Jill, a young woman, among other youths of all colors and many cultures on a
quest to find herself and get a life, about her getting it, finding everything
making life worth living. It is found under a rock, right before her eyes, and
she grabs it, grabs its tail with both hands and holds on to it with all the
considerable might she possesses.

It’s about the
dangers seekers find out there, on the freedom road.

It’s about the
mysteries of human existence and everything under the moon, actually. I would
argue that it is about everything and contains everything, but that would not
be completely accurate.

It’s one hell of a
book and you will find yourself immersed in it, deep below the surface of its
waters, its fire lake.

I wouldn't claim
that each paragraph is a joy to read, but it feels that way. The prose is just
as unique as the story itself.

The boys and girls
described in the book are teenagers, but this is a story for truly mature
readers of all ages. It is a fantasy book. It is not a fantasy book. You will
find no boxed in genre story here. You will find life in all its shades.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

I like all seasons.
They are change and encourage change, but in today’s oppressive society summer
is clearly the best.

It isn't because of
the high temperatures, even though I love those, too. The foremost reason is
the most obvious: I can more than anything be human. There is not work, not
school, but weeks of relaxation, of embracing everything still great in life.

I can say fuck it to
all the trappings of society and that always feels good. Most people aren't
able to even imagining a completely different life, but we are.

We swim, swim a lot,
we dive deep into the forest and the night, enjoying every single second of our
life, celebrating it in all forms. We know it is temporary, even as we are very
aware that it shouldn't be, shouldn't be that at all.

School is shit, both
in its foundation and execution. It’s just a place where you educate robots,
mold people into slaves better suited to perform in the harsh existence as an
adult. I want to quit school, but I hold it out, because the alternative: being
without a higher education in today’s cutthroat society is even worse.

True learning is
nothing like this, this pale imitation of it. If anyone wanted to study
anything it should be because they wanted to, not because they feel brutally
compelled to do so.

So, while I seek and
enjoy every radical environment I can find in this tiny Scandinavian village of
mine, I keep torturing myself with the words and actions of others.

About me

Lise has turned twenty-five and doesn't like it very much. They say it's halfway to fifty. Aside from that Lise has no problems. She has earned a philosophy masters degree at the University of Bergen, and is indeed a very philosophical person, something expressing itself in a number of ways. Lise is Lise, but is otherwise very mysterious, and even though you may feel you recognize her, you would be wrong. She is probably not the mature, sophisticated woman in the office near you.